Trump Said He’s Never Met With Russian Officials – He Lied

It has come to light that Donald Trump, despite repeated denials, met the Russian ambassador months before his election at a campaign speech.

It looks like we have finally gotten to the bottom of President Donald Trump’s communication with Russia.

Although Trump’s questionable relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin has been under scrutiny for some time, the now commander in chief has repeatedly denied meeting with him or any other Russian officials along the campaign trail. As of Tuesday, we’ve come to learn it was all a lie.

Reports surfaced revealing that Trump met with and “warmly greeted” Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak before delivering a foreign policy speech back in April of 2016, according to Raw Story.

The Wall Street Journal, at the time, reported on the meeting — noting that the then-White House hopeful was trying to establish foreign policy credibility early on during his campaign.

“A few minutes before he made those remarks, Mr. Trump met at a VIP reception with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak. Mr. Trump warmly greeted Mr. Kislyak and three other foreign ambassadors who came to the reception,” the article from the Wall Street Journal read.

According to Americablog writer John Aravosis, conservative news site Newsmax also reported on the same meet-up between Trump and Kislyak.

Ironically, Trump spoke highly of Russia in his speech that day and called for stronger relations between the two countries. “I believe an easing of tensions and improved relations with Russia — from a position of strength only — is possible, absolutely possible,” Trump said. “Some say the Russians won’t be reasonable. I intend to find out.”

Although this may come across as old news, considering it was reported nearly a year ago and was vastly overlooked, it is incredibly relevant now that Trump is president and — in just the first month of his term — his cabinet has already been riddled with controversy surrounding secret meet-ups and phone calls with Russian officials.

In addition to former national security adviser Michael Flynn — who resigned after it came to light that he deceived Vice President Mike Pence about his involvement with Russia — other Trump aides including adviser Jack Kingston, campaign chair Paul Manafort, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have been ousted for their sketchy past and present ties to Russia.

While it is incredibly egregious that Trump has blatantly lied about meeting with Russian officials, this news really comes as no surprise. His constant praising of Putin and strong desire to improve relations between the U.S. and Russia were very clear indications of his friendly attitude toward them.

It seems only fitting that he would bring people on his team who share his views and have the connections to help carry out his goal of bettering the nation’s relationship with Russia. Evidently, misleading the American people to fulfill this objective is just an end that justifies the means.